calendar ↠ the boyz

seven

The pressure of the heat in July was nothing quite like the pressure Jacob Bae would put upon her.

"I don't need a second job," Jinae groaned as her mother fumbled around her handbag. "Can't you tell them I'm allergic or something?"

"To dogs?" Mrs Yoon glanced up. "Your favourite animal?"

This was true, but it didn't mean Jinae wanted to work with them every other day of summer. "Don't complain when I beg that we get a puppy because I'll be so attached to these dogs!"

Sanha peeked his head out of the hallway. "You already have one here."

An angelic smile upon his face, his sister glared at him with narrow eyes. "Yes, you're a mutt."

Jinae stared at the entrance doors for a few minutes, her hand wanting to desperately to reach forward and push but she couldn't. Her job at the book store was tiring enough, but this was next level.

"U-Um, may I get past you?" A boy from behind her caught her out of her daze.

His face was kind and soft, his demeanour shy and awkward, much like herself. "Oh, yes. Sorry."

He bowed ever so slightly, walking past and making his way inside. She realised he was without a dog, then stupidly realised that the polo shirt and name tag meant that he worked here too.

"If he can do it," Jinae muttered to herself. "You can too."

Eventually she made her way inside, standing awkwardly before the front desk as she watched the boy searching for something behind it.

He wasn't aware of her presence until he gave himself a fright by looking up. "Oh, sorry. May I help you?"

"I'm Jinae," the girl was softly spoken, he noted. "My application was accepted, I'm here for a trial shift."

"Oh!" He smiled, looking back down again. "I was actually just searching for your paperwork. Bare with me a second."

It was like a scene from a movie. The boy moving as quickly as he could, and Jinae could swear she saw items flying up in the air every two seconds.

"I'm Jacob," he spoke over his shoulder. "By the way."

"Nice to meet you," the girl nodded, noticing now that everything became silent as he turned around with the piece of paper, putting it before her as he marked where to sign. "Just here?"

The shy boy glanced up, nodding with a slight smile. "Yeah, there and there."

Everything went well, despite the two being the most quiet beings in the place. It wasn't hard when there was barking dogs all around, but the two of them were exceptionally well at being awkward.

"So, are you enjoying it here?" Jacob asked half way through the girl's fifth shift.

"It's hard, in this heat," the girl noted the sweat rolling down her forehead. "But it's worth it. It's fun."

"It's rewarding," the boy smiled, a dog coming to rest in between his legs as it lay down to sleep. "Some of these dogs go home to a loving family every night, and others back to a shelter. It's good to know we've done anything we can to help make their day better, you know?"

Jinae looked on with her mouth slightly agape. This was the most she had heard him speak.

And when he was passionate about something, it seemed that was when he perked up. He was always cheerful, but this was a new side to him.

They were similar, in that sense. "Yes, I know exactly what you mean."

The days of July began to come to an end, but that only meant it got hotter. And it also meant that the two had only gotten closer - just a little.

Jacob peeked his head through, watching as the girl sat on the floor letting the dogs come over to her. He smiled to himself at the sight, she was a natural.

"I have to run some errands," he interrupted the scene, the girl looking over. "Think you'll manage on your own?"

"Oh, Jacob," the girl shook her head, causing him to laugh. "You surely don't trust me enough for that."

"Oh, I absolutely do," he chuckled, sending her a thumbs up. "You can do it. Call me if you need me."

With that, he left the girl on her own with only the reception lady for any help. She wouldn't need it, though.

For the dogs just seemed to cling to her as though they knew they were safe with her. She laughed and cheered as she tried to multitask a game of fetch with half of them, whilst the others lay down observing.

She felt content.

"I absolutely love them!" The girl gushed as she walked home alongside Jacob.

She found out he lived not far but attended a different school, hence why she had never seen him before. It was a shame, they were so similar yet deprived of any sort of friendship for that reason.

The last day of July meant she had lasted a whole month there, and she didn't regret a thing.

"You're a natural, truly," Jacob smiled warmly at the girl. He was relieved she had began to open up, and he enjoyed this side to her. "Listen. I know you'll be back to school soon and you won't be able to come by as often, but we'd really like to keep you there."

The two stopped on the street where they usually parted.

"You're a great asset to the team, and a good friend," he continued, the girl smiling. "And not to pressure you, but the daycare vet is looking to take on an assistant. If it's something you're interested in, I think you should do it."

"Don't I need some qualification for that?" Jinae tilted her head.

"No, just determination," he smiled cheerfully, placing a hand upon her shoulder. "And a love for animals, which you clearly have."

With a pat, he walked away down his street, leaving the girl confused.

Looking over his shoulder, he called. "Just think about it! Please, for me?"